Unions set up talks with TVR in last ditch bid to save UK jobs

The Transport and General Workers’ Union (T&G) is to hold talks with the management of troubled UK car manufacturer TVR on 20 November, following the surprise closure of the company’s car plant in Blackpool last week.

More than 150 workers were laid off as a result, despite previous assurances by the firm there would be no redundancies while talks over the future of the plant continued.

TVR’s Russian owner Nikolai Smolenski announced in October that he planned to outsource car production to Europe.

Andy Robertson, regional industrial organiser at the T&G, said the news effectively meant personal undertakings by Smolenski had been ripped up.

“We understand the difficulties and sensitivities of the situation at TVR, but the [closure] announcement directly contradicted promises to the T&G by Mr Smolenski that while talks continued to try to save the Blackpool plant no-one would face being sent home. There is a lot of anger just now among those affected.”

The future of TVR has been the subject of speculation for some months. Hopes were raised a few weeks ago when local MPs joined forces with the T&G in a bid to find an alternative to closure.